In late November of last year I was riding through southern Changhua 彰化 on my way to Běidǒu 北斗 when I noticed an unusually old building at the side of the highway. With a little research I puzzled out this is the obscure Bāfēn Catholic Church 八分天主堂, a parish dating back to 1906 and located in Méizhōu Village 梅州里 on the western outskirts of Tiánzhōng 田中. I haven’t found any primary source material establishing its age—but the style of the church reminds me of Zhongshan Hall 中山堂 (originally Ershui Public Hall 二水公會堂) in neighbouring Èrshuǐ 二水, originally built during the Japanese colonial era in 1930. At a glance I would guess it was built sometime between 1940 and 1960.

An oblique view of the old church. I’m not sure if it’s still in use for more than just drying sheets.

Since this is a rather obscure locale in rural Changhua 彰化 there’s not much about it online. The church is briefly mentioned in this post, suggesting it is no longer in use for more than storage, and you’ll also find a few more photos here.